Match

Tobi (Patrick Stewart) is a dance professor at Julliard. Today he's very nervous, however, as he's expecting guests. Who they are, you don't know but he wants everything to be just right and he fusses over the details. Once the couple arrive, you learn that the woman is supposedly working on a dissertation about dance and the husband is just along for the ride. This portion at Tobi's favorite restaurant is VERY hard to take. Tobi is so superficial and flamboyant that he comes off as fake and annoying. I really was tempted to turn off the film...it was THAT bad.

Soon the scene changes to Tobi's apartment. While the lady (Carla Gugino) asks Tobi a lot of questions about dance, her husband (Matthew Lillard) begins asking questions--which is strange because he's just supposed to be along for the ride. What's stranger is that his questions are very invasive and he begins asking Tobi about his sex life. What is this all about....as it soon becomes obvious that there is no dissertation and the couple have ulterior motives. What? See the film.

I hated the first 20 minutes or so of the film and thought the writing and Stewart were just awful. But I stuck with it...and I am glad I did because through the course of the film, the bravado, the fakeness and the veneer begin to wear away and the movie becomes an interesting character study. In fact, it becomes a wonderful study of all three--and all three are marvelous. It also becomes quieter...more contemplative...and very emotionally charged--so much so that you might just want to have a few Kleenex handy. Rarely has a movie surprised me like this one did...and I am certainly glad I saw it. If you, too, would like to see it, the film is out this week on Netflix.

By the way, this is not a film for kids. There is a lot of talk about sexuality and it would probably bore younger viewers as well. But for someone who wants to see marvelous acting you cannot do much better than this.

-Match (2015) movie review: -Match is a limited release film that focuses entirely on an older dance instructor, played by Sir Patrick Stewart, who agrees to be interview by a younger couple, only to abruptly discover that they may have a very different agenda. (Nothing sinister, it's a drama, not a thriller) -Match is an example of an alright film that would be better, but really can't be because of its limitations.

-The story I thought was pretty good and deviant of cliché.

-The pace was probably too quick. With the story, it felt like a longer TV episode.

-The acting was good. Patrick Stewart did a good job, but other than learning how to dance, nothing outside of his skill set. Carla Gugino did well, but nothing beyond her usual roles. I was most impressed by Matthew Lillard, (live action Shaggy) who was really compelling and impressive.

-The characters were deep and there was a lot to either like or dislike. However there is no character that you really feel good liking.

-The music is forgettable. However playing one song twice worked in this.

-The thing I either really liked or really did not like was that the entire film takes place in like a day, and it is right to the point. It is 90 minutes of the main story.

-Match is rated-R for some language, although not heavy, and an R amount of sexual dialogue. By R standards it is not that bad though.

-Match is well acted, compelling, and has a well written story, but lacks in being anything more because of its runtime and lack of anything but the story. I will say I enjoyed it, but it is only worth watching on Netflix/Redbox. 7/10.

-Did you see Match? What did you think? Leave a comment or a like if this review helped and make sure to stay tuned for my review of The Wedding Ringer soon!

I'm not a movie reviewer. I probably couldn't tell the difference between a great performance and a bad one. I'm most certainly a bad judge of film, to give an example I love the movie Battleship. But I can't recall a movie that's ever left me with such a feeling after that I need the closure that comes from writing this. If that is any indication of how good this movie is so be it.

The story is as simple as a couple (Carla Gugino and Matthew Lillard) interviewing a ballet teacher (Patrick Stewart) with questions about his career. But, can we really ever talk about our lives without bringing up our life and the consequences it has for everyone? Especially so if the questions are driven by motive. In this context the movie starts to feel like the play it is from, so be prepared for intelligent dialog, scenes over analyzed, emotions too dark and complex. There are no explosions as in most American movies, except the ones of our characters.

If you're a fan of film festival movies, if you enjoy Broadway, if you prefer music from groups that are not mass market popular then this movie is for you. The characters are so real I felt like an intruder in their lives dealing with subjects so personal I had to avert my eyes to afford them a sense of privacy. All three actors, Stewart, Gugino, Lillard gave the best performances of their careers, which is bit of a surprise from Gugino and Lillard who I've enjoyed in the past but I regard as kind of one-note actors. You'd never know they had it in them which makes it a pleasure to watch.

Hurt people hurt people, and there is a lot of hurt and regret in this film. I left the theater wanting to give each of the characters the hug they sorely needed and deserved. Most emotionally drawn films cause you to cry when viewing them. This one made me cry long after, after I was able to piece together the lasting consequences of these strangers' encounter.

Tour de force performance from Patrick Stewart. Unfortunately his role is not really captivating. The young man is more interesting. Ultimately as a film it falls short. Maybe it worked on stage. In some aspects I found Toby's character repulsive.

The performance Stewart turns in...if it was anyone but him, would have been a performance talked about for years. It is, quite simply, one of the most nuanced performances from an actor I have seen in years. That alone is reason to give this movie a chance. Lillard turns the best performance I have seen from him outside of a turn on Law and Order that stuck with me.

The dialogue is excellent. This isn't a movie you want to sit down with a phone in your lap and "sortta" watch. You will want to sit down and revel in it. My only negative critique is that a couple of the scenes did carry on too long, but that may have been the director's way of creating discomfort.